Glas 2600 V8
The 2600 V8 was a car made by Glas between 1966 and 1968. The 2600 V8 was one of the lesser known models to come from Glas. The car was designed by Pietro Frua, who had already designed such great looking automobiles such as a number of Maseratis. Glas hard turned their backs on microcars and small cars as they wanted to join the elitist circle of supercars. The austere war years had long past and bigger and bigger cars were entering the market. Glas thought it was about time they tried to muscle in on the market. The 2600 V8 was nicknamed the 'Glaserati' because of its likeness to the Maseratis Pietro Frua had designed in the past. The vehicle was fitted with a 2600cc (160 cubic inch) V8 engine which produced 140 HP. The 2600 V8 had a top top speed of 120 mph. Development costs of the engine werekept low due to many parts from 1300cc motor could being used. After the takeover of Glas by BMW, the car was fitted with a 3.0 litre engine. The 2600 V8 had evolved into the 3000 GT. With the enlarged displacement of 3,000 cc, performance went to 160 bhp, The chassis had a wheelbase of 2.50 metres and a track of 1.42 m. The front axle used double wishbones. Of special interest was the rear axle design, which featured a DeDion axle with a Panhard stabilizer link and an automatic ride height adjustment using Boge-Hydromat struts. The layout of the interior was also beautiful. The dashboard featured seven beautifully crafted round-faced instruments, while the interior furnishings and presentation were exclusive and sporty at the same time. On the outside, stretched design features, a low belt line, large glass areas and the discreet use of chrome provided the car with the flair of distinction. From July 1966 until May of 1968 718 cars were built, 300 with a 2.6 litre motor and 418 with the 3.0 litre motor. The first 2.6 litre models were offered for $4,500 and towards the end BMW offered them for $6,250. BMW also managed to address many of the teething problems associated with a new design before the decision was made to halt production. All that was left to roll off the production lines now were the Goggomobils. 3000-V8 By February 1966 Glas were running a prototype V8 with the engine bored out to 2,982cc (literally a doubled up version of the 1,489 cc unit found in some versions of the company’s Glas GT) and a three way carburetor. This version offered maximum power output of 118 kW (160 PS) and according to some sources now managed to top the 200 km/h (126 mph) maximum specified in the original brief for the car. During 1966 a 3.2 litre engined version providing maximum power output of 129 kW (175 PS) was also under development,but 1966 was the year when the company’s precarious finances drove a crisis that resulted, in September 1966, in a take-over by BMW. The 3.2 litre Glas V8 never entered production. BMW-Glas 3000-V8 With the Glas model range now under the control of BMW, the Glas company’s former rivals, production of the 2600 V8 Glas was ended in August 1967, (although the model continued to be listed until December). In September the 3000 V8 developed under Glas management the previous year appeared on the market, virtually unchanged, except that it carried a BMW badge on the bonnet/hood and was branded as the BMW-Glas 3000-V8. Production of this model ended in May 1968, however, and exactly a year after its appearance it was delisted in September 1968. In contrast with their treatment of the smaller Glas GT, BMW resisted any temptation to give the BMW branded BMW-Glas 3000-V8 a BMW style “twin kidney” grill. Commercial When the car first appeared at the 1965 motor show, the projected price was a sensationally low 18,000 DM. By the time cars were available for sale, in 1966, the price was 19,400 DM which was still seen as a very competitive price for a low volume specialist GT. In terms of volumes, sources differ: according to Werner Oswald the company produced 277 of the smaller engined 2600 V8s and 389 of the more powerful 3000 V8s. Category:Glas Category:Post-war